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Exploring Open Source and LinuxTue, 18 Dec 2018 09:01:22 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3151965009How to install software on Linuxhttps://osjournal.com/how-to-install-software-on-linux-380/
https://osjournal.com/how-to-install-software-on-linux-380/#respondTue, 18 Dec 2018 09:01:18 +0000https://osjournal.com/?p=380The post How to install software on Linux appeared first on OSJournal.
]]>You’re sitting in front of your new Linux computer, filled with both excitement and trepidation. Maybe you’ve gone out and bought one of the few rare laptops that came with Linux pre-installed (more on that on another article). Or maybe you sat in silent anxiety watching your neighbor and (hopefully) friend defrag and repartition your virus-filled bloated Windows system and setup Linux to dual boot. Or maybe your more adventurous persona found an unused desktop, wiped it clean (physically and digitally) and dared to install Linux on your own. So what do you do next? Why explore the wonderful and sometimes maddening world of Linux software without fear or viruses, malware, or things going wrong. Well, almost.

Get gooey with GUIs

Depending on the distribution, the easiest way to install a Linux program would be through a graphical tool. Unfortunately, different distros, even those with the same lineage, have different tools. And even more unfortunately, not all of them might be reliable. Instead of having a dozen or so screenshots and tutorials for those different GUIs, let’s try to take a look under the hood at the tools those interface use behind the scenes anyway.

Easiest and safest: Distribution packages

App stores might be en vogue today, both on mobile and desktops, but Linux has been using that system years, even decades before them. They just used a geekier “repository” terminology rather than “market” or “store” that people will always equate with paid software. Throughout those years, Linux hasn’t fundamentally changed and the most recommended way to get and install software is through your distribution’s repositories. These are packaged, tested, and vetted by people presumably more knowledgeable and more trustworthy than you neighbor (no offense to your neighbor). It’s pretty much like Google Play Store or Apple App Store, without suspicion of tracking or ulterior motives.

There are many Linux distributions and some come with their own package managers. Most of them, however, have their roots in one of three major binary distributions: Debian, Red Hat/Fedora, and Arch Linux. So we’ll mostly cover these three.

Debian and its derivatives, which includes Ubuntu, rely on the Advanced Package Tool or APT. That hasn’t changed over the years but its face has. APT is actually composed of a number of command line programs, all starting with apt-. That has become rather cumbersome too us so recently, a new single “apt” frontend was used. To install programs, one only has to enter (as root or with sudo):

apt install <package name>

Uninstalling software is just as easy with:

apt remove <package name>

Red Hat’s names for its package managers (yes, plural) is a bit more interesting and confusing. It’s equivalent to Debian’s APT is YUM, which is the Yellowdog Updater, Modified. It was based on an older package manager developed for Yellow Dog Linux, hence the name. While YUM continues to be used, it has practically been supplanted by DNF, the Dandified Yum, especially on Fedora. APT and YUM/DNF actually share a common, familiar syntax, so the way to install and remove programs are almost exactly the same:

dnf install <package name>
dnf remove <package name>

Things get slightly more complex with Arch Linux, which is why some consider it the advanced binary distro. Where APT and YUM/DNF use spelled out commands, Arch Linux’s pacman, short for package manager, uses single-letter flags. Saves on the typing but could make commands less understandable at a glance. Plus, combining different flags, sometimes the same letter with different cases, can become a bit confusing. Anyway, to install a package using pacman, you use the -S (Sync) flag:

pacman -S <package name>

To remove the same, use the -R (Remove) flag instead:

pacman -R <package name>

Fast and messy: DEBs, RPMs, PKGs

APT, YUM/DNF, and pacman are actually what’s called high-level package managers. Without going into too much technical details, what that means is that they handle tasks like figuring out what packages depend on which, checking if there are updates available, and automating all of those so you won’t have to manually do them. Sometimes, however, you might have to. Especially in times when a program isn’t available in any of the repos, official or not, and the source only distributes single binary packages. Times like those, you’ll have to go low-level.

Debian’s package format is actually DEB (ten guesses on why). You can’t use APT when dealing with individual Debian packages and you’ll have to use DPKG, the Debian package manager, to do that:

dpkg -i <deb file>
dpkg -r <package name>

Red Hat/Fedora has two ways to skin the poor cat. At its most basic level, you can install an RPM package using the RPM package manager like so:

rpm -I <rpm file>

Actually, the recommend syntax is:

rpm -Uhv <rpm file>

so that RPM will install or update an already installed package (-U) and give more verbose and helpful output (-h -v). To remove (“erase”) a package, do it like so:

rpm -e <package name>

That said, you can actually use YUM and DNF to also install single RPM files with the same command. The advantage here is that YUM/DNF will pull in the necessary dependencies if it knows the package, like if it’s just an update version of one that’s already in the repos. Otherwise, it will just use RPM like above.

Arch Linux is surprisingly straightforward in this regard and uses the same pacman to install local packages, just with a different flag:

pacman -U <pkg.tar.xz file>

Sandbox playgrounds: Flatpak, Appimages, Snappy

Linux has always prided itself for its (previously) unique software management systems, avoiding the DLL Hell of Windows or the insecurities of OS X (now macOS). That system, however, is far from perfect and the distro-centric package management not only puts the burden on distributions but also keeps both users and upstream developers beholden to them. In other words, there are few safe and secure ways to get more updated versions of some programs or make sure one program can run on all the hundreds of differing distros.

That’s why three new app distribution systems have recently emerged. Of the three, Appimage is the easiest to use. It requires nothing else other than the program that comes in an Appimage file. You don’t even need root/sudo to run it. Simply mark the the file as executable and run it using your choice of command line or graphical file manager:

chmod 755 filename.appimage
./filename.appimage

Appimage is able to do its magic because it contains everything an app needs to run. Think of it like a CD or DVD or almost something similar to OS X/macOS applications. Its simplicity, however, comes at a price. By default, the Appimage program will have access to everything that the user has and can potentially wreck havoc on the user’s files. You can run it in a sandbox but that isn’t the default and you have to take extra steps to do so.

Almost on the opposite side of the security and complexity scale is Flatpak, designed to be more of a cross-desktop effort. While Flatpak applications are more or less self-contained, they do rely on common libraries found in “runtimes” to make management less hairy. Applications run sanboxed from the system and from each other, making it more secure. The disadvantage is that using Flatpak is a bit more involved and almost mirrors how you distro package managers. Not only do you need to install flatpak itself, you also have to add repositories as well. While the young FlatHub does make it easier, it still isn’t a straightforward matter.

flatpak install <repository> <package name>

Snappy or Snaps are somewhere in the middle but are also all over the place. Created by Canonical, snappy was designed to mirror the app distribution systems found on mobile platforms, a.k.a. app stores. In fact, snaps are used extensively on Ubuntu Touch as its default app format. Like Appimage, snaps are self-contained compressed images that have everything an app needs to run on any Linux systems. Like Flatpak, it needs to be managed by a snapd daemon and programs aren’t run directly. Snaps are also sandboxed but to the point they can’t even access the user’s own dot/hidden files. Snappy, however, is still at its infancy though its use doesn’t seem to be as widespread as the other two outside of Ubuntu’s reach.

To install a snap, you have to run this command as root or with sudo:

sudo snap install hello

Fortunately, running it doesn’t require elevated privileges and can be run like any installed program:

hello

Nightmare waiting to happen: Binaries

Some software sources do not even bother properly packaging their programs in even DEB or RPM formats. Rather, they expect users to execute “installers” and trust them. That is, of course, a security exploit, especially for those that only provide compiled binary programs. But even if they use a BASH script, it eventually boils down to how much trust you can give to the source. This is where Linux can become like Windows if you’re not careful what you’re chmod’ing and sudo’ing.

Use the Source, Luke: Compiling

And finally, there’s the most ancient method of installing software on Linux: compiling it from source. For small programs that are no longer available on modern repos, it’s perfectly fine. But do prepare yourself for a world of pain. In the past, compiling programs was almost a standard affair using just three commands:

./configure
make
make install

Of course, that’s more or less a myth. make install may or may not require root privileges and configure can always be fed some flags. These days, however, some things have become both simpler and more complex with different build systems involved. When in doubt, always README.

]]>https://osjournal.com/how-to-install-software-on-linux-380/feed/0380We need open source smartphones now more than ever [UPDATE]https://osjournal.com/we-need-open-source-smartphones-now-more-than-ever-372/
https://osjournal.com/we-need-open-source-smartphones-now-more-than-ever-372/#commentsTue, 11 Dec 2018 20:21:37 +0000https://osjournal.com/?p=372The post We need open source smartphones now more than ever [UPDATE] appeared first on OSJournal.
]]>It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that most of modern life revolves or involves smartphones in one way or another. Even for basic things such as text messaging and phone calls, budget entry-level smartphones have started to replace “dumb” feature phones. It’s not really that hard to understand why. These veritable computers in our pockets are amazing, able to do almost anything and store almost any data, either directly or through the cloud. They are, in a way, the most personal personal computers in existence, which is why it is even more crucial that open source smartphones, or better yet open phones, become more readily available for anyone and everyone.

Old Tune

The desire to have open source, and even open hardware, smartphones isn’t exactly new. Whenever there’s a new wave of devices that comes around, the open source community always ends up wishing there were such a product that not only catered to our wants but was also designed specifically to take our principles into account.

Although definitely not the first, the Openmoko was the one that came closest to succeeding. Launched in 2007, the strange-looking Neo 1973 offered both a Linux operating system for phones as well as the “open source hardware” to run it on. The phone’s launch, as well as that of its successor, the Neo FreeRunner, were marred by delays and shortages but Openmoko still etched a legacy in the Linux and open source history.

Not by coincidence, it was also around that time that (the original) Nokia launched its series of “Internet Tablets”, the N800 and N810, culminating in the N900 and the N9/N950 smartphones. All these ran on Linux and were closer to the desktop version of Linux than Android or even Ubuntu Touch. At the same time, they were not completely open on both hardware and software levels but had enough for the open source community to keep it alive even when the companies behind it have turned to ash.

Of course, some will argue that Android has kept the flame alive through out these years. It is, after all, an open source operating system, right? Depends on who you ask. While the core of Android is indeed open source, the majority of what users experience as Android isn’t, from the hardware binary blobs to Google Play Services.

Then there were the Ubuntu Touch phones (let’s not mention the Ubuntu Edge, shall we?). Definitely more Linux than Android, it also came close to becoming the open source Linux phone that even consumers could use. Granted, it relied heavily on proprietary Android pieces to actually run on existing consumer phones. Unfortunately, it ended up as a commercial failure, with OEMs quickly losing interest in the platform. It probably didn’t help that Canonical dug itself into a hole with its NIH features.

UPDATE: As many mentioned in the comments below. Ubuntu Touch lives in the UBports project, a community-driven effort to not only continue what Canonica and the Ubuntu community have started but to hopefully bring it to even more Android phones. Its exclusion in this list was meant to be strategic, playing up to a deeper coverage of the latest OTA-6 release. In hindsight, it might not have been the best move. Mea culpa.

New Players

Thanks to the availability of affordable hardware components and, of course, open source software, there has recently been a resurgence of interest in open source phones. Those range from DIY Frankensteins built around SBCs like the Raspberry Pi to sometimes shady crowdedfuning campaigns. These proved there is no small amount of interest but not enough to turn it into a sustainable business.

Then along came Purism, who already made a name for themselves with their privacy-oriented Linux laptops. Knowing the role smartphones play in people’s lives today, the startup embarked on a journey to bring their principles and experience to the mobile world. Thus the Purism Librem 5 was born and, more importantly, crowdfunded. Unlike previous attempts, both commercial and crowdfunded, Purism made sure to enlist (and even employ) the help of open source developers and communities. Although the phone continues to be developed, it has hit a few hurdles and delays that, as we’ll see later, any small open source phone maker would run into sooner or later.

The latest addition to this growing roster is Necuno Mobile from a Finnish company “focusing on information security and privacy”. Working with the KDE community to bring Plasma Mobile to the phone, Necuno Solutions a truly open source and secure phone, with the caveat that it will still be using proprietary firmware for certain hardware. That story is just unfolding and there’s no telling yet when the first devices will be commercially available if at all.

Privacy and Security

While earlier attempts at an open source smartphone seemed to revolve around general openness and hackability, these recent endeavors mostly focus on privacy and security. That’s quite telling because it reflects the current situation and growing concern around smartphones being not just gateways to the Internet and services but also backdoors to spies, hackers, and criminals.

Of course, smartphone makers and platform developers will denounce attempts at hacking their products or forcing backdoors in them. They might not be able to do much, however, when governments start breathing down their neck. And we can never really be sure if any of these players, from OEMs to governments to networks, are doing what they claim they’re doing. Not unless people can check the source code and examine the data freely and legally.

With so much of our personal and even professional lives stored in our phones or passing through them, much more than our PCs and Macs, we should be scared at how little control and oversight we have over them. And it’s not just a theoretical scenario, with spam, fraud, hacks, and tracking popping up left and right, regardless of the platform. It’s not just a possibility, it’s already happening.

Longevity

There is one other consideration for open source phones, one that Android users are probably more acutely aware of compared to iOS ones. Most Android phones come with a 2-3 year guarantee of updates, explicit or implied. After that, you’re on your own to fend off security holes left open or outdated and poor-performing software. Apple admittedly does a commendable job at supporting years-old devices, but that can change any time and users can do nothing about it.

An open source phone, at least in theory, wouldn’t have to worry about obsolescence as long as there’s someone willing to update the necessary software pieces. And if one platform no longer works, users would be able to install a different one instead. There is no lock in of any sort. Being able to run any OS on a device, for as long as you want even beyond the device’s support period, is a user’s dream. Unfortunately, it also runs contrary to one of the business models that make creating such an open smartphone, much less selling one, nearly impossible.

Business Matters

While an open source smartphone is a clear win for consumers and software developers, it isn’t just a risk for hardware makers. It is even a loss. It is unfortunate that the smartphone market has evolved in a direction where users are expected to upgrade their phones every two years or so. That may have been fine in the age of the old feature phones, but imagine if you had to buy a new laptop at that rate. Given how smartphones have become as power and as expensive as entry-level laptops, that’s not an unfair comparison.

There are other business practices and expectations that create hurdles for open source smartphones. Startups and visionaries can try designing their own, but component makers and assemblers might not even give you the time of day if you’re not a big company or order by the thousands or hundreds of thousands. And should you be lucky enough to find suppliers and partners, the current market revolves around parts with closed firmware which may not sit well with open source advocates.

Canonical tried to go the path of least resistance by partnering with OEMs to install Ubuntu Touch on existing devices. That worked to some extent and was a compromise if you don’t mind relying on binary blobs beneath the hood. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long for other reasons and anyone smaller than the Ubuntu maker will find less willing partners to take that risk again.

Many Eyeballs

While a true open source Linux-based phone would be a huge step towards protecting the privacy and security of consumers, let’s also not kid ourselves. It is not a panacea. Like the Linux and open source world at large, security and privacy are not automatic features of open source. Rather, it is open source that enables those features, by allowing developers and users to keep a watchful eye on the code.

In fact, the need for vigilance would be even greater with an open source mobile platform. It will not have the same resources, human or otherwise, that Google and Apple have to throw at screening and vetting everything that goes into the system. Code isn’t always understandable, even to seasoned Linux users. It will be up to the various and sometimes fragmented communities to step up and keep watch over these phones and the software that run on them.

At this point, a true open source smartphone, one where the consumer is protected and is in full control, continues to be a pipe dream. Sure, there are a few new takes that sound promising but, until they deliver, they are just that, promises. And even if they do, they might pale in comparison to more advanced but semi-proprietary phones in the market. The odds do seem stacked against it but open source advocates have always been dreamers and rebels. What these dreams need are a strong show of support and, perhaps, some financial help as well.

]]>https://osjournal.com/we-need-open-source-smartphones-now-more-than-ever-372/feed/13372Linux on DeX beta review: almost perfect portable Linuxhttps://osjournal.com/linux-on-dex-beta-review-almost-perfect-portable-linux-355/
https://osjournal.com/linux-on-dex-beta-review-almost-perfect-portable-linux-355/#respondWed, 28 Nov 2018 05:46:01 +0000https://osjournal.com/?p=355The post Linux on DeX beta review: almost perfect portable Linux appeared first on OSJournal.
]]>What Linux or open source geek has never dreamed of being able to access their beloved computer from anywhere? And no, not just through a remote command line shell. Ever since phones have become more than just communication devices and veritable computers in our pockets, the dream of a Linux smartphone and a portable Linux computer may have been in many users’ minds and hearts. From Nokia’s Debian-based Internet tablets and N900 phone to Ubuntu’s discontinued Ubuntu Touch Convergence, that dream has never been completely fulfilled. Samsung’s Linux on DeX, still in beta, arguably has the biggest chance to deliver that. That is, if Samsung actually sticks to it and goes all the way.

What is it for?

For those unfamiliar with the things that Samsung has been cooking up in the Android world, Linux on Dex is an extension of Samsung’s DeX technology that practically presents Android in a desktop-like interface when a compatible phone is connected to an external display (via a dock or directly), complete with panel and floating windows. It’ss the Android desktop that a few companies and developers have been trying to achieve, all with varying degrees of success.

Linux on DeX then runs Linux on top of that. Almost literally on top, as LoD practically runs as a fullscreen Android app in DeX (desktop) mode. Under the hood, it’s really just a Linux container running Ubuntu 16.04 that has been slightly modified to run on an Android smartphone, using VNC for a full GUI desktop, which normally requires DeX mode, and SSH for “headless” access directly on the phone, even without an external display.

To be clear, Samsung isn’t really trying to appeal to Linux users the way Ubuntu Touch and its Convergence did. That would be great but Samsung is naturally more interested in its own ecosystem and, ultimately, in profits. Linux on DeX is merely a tool towards that end. In particular, it’s a tool to help app developers craft Android apps using nothing but their Galaxy phone or tablet. It sort of lowers the barrier to entry (if you don’t count the uber expensive devices themselves) by not requiring a separate PC to develop apps with. In all honesty, though, if Samsung could have gotten Windows to offer the same experience for absolutely free, it would have probably gone that route.

Smooth as butter. Almost.

Linux on DeX is hardly the only attempt at running Linux on Android, though admittedly there are fewer projects that attempt to run a graphical Linux desktop on Android. What sets LoD apart, aside from its limitation to Samsung devices, is its ease of setup. Once you get into the beta and beta program, simply install the Android app, follow the instructions to download the official (and large) Linux image, create a container for it with the desired name and data storage size, and just run it.

You get a working and usable Ubuntu GNOME desktop (or shell) and almost everything you know about Linux, specifically Debian-based distros like Ubuntu, applies. There are a few caveats particular to the way it’s running inside a phone (like fixed display resolutions, missing options, etc) but most Linux users, even less advanced ones, will be able to navigate their way around LoD.

Performance is admittedly impressive. Most of the “Linux on Android” implementations I’ve tried, both root-based and otherwise, often groan under the weight of running anything graphical, let alone a full GUI desktop. It helps that Samsung’s hardware requirements for Linux on DeX is pretty high and expensive, only the Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Tab S4 are officially supported. Still, aside from a few stuttering when you’re running processor and graphics intensive tasks, it’s almost unbelievable that you’re running a “normal” Linux desktop over a few layers of abstraction on a smartphone. The external monitor, keyboard, and mouse definitely help reinforce that illusion.

What can you do with this Linux on DeX? Honestly almost anything you can do with a regular Ubuntu system. The biggest limitation is, however, the packages available for the ARM64 (arch64) architecture. While Ubuntu/Debian has a wide selection of LInux software, not all of them are built for all architectures, even including the popular ARM. That’s even more true for third-party software sources, including Dropbox and Google Chrome, neither of which officially support ARM yet. Fortunately, Chromium is around and there are some guides on how to get Dropbox working on ARM, at least via Raspberry Pi tutorials. And, being Linux, you can always compile software that you need. Presuming the phone can take heat.

What you can and cannot do

With that caveat aside, you can still do a lot of things with LoD. You can switch your desktop environment of choice (HINT: edit ~/.vnc/xstartup to change what gets run when LoD is started graphically). You can run almost any GUI or command line software you wish (provided they’re available for Ubuntu 16.04). You can even run Blender, though don’t expect to do any significant modeling and rendering here. And, of course, you can run your favorite software development tools to write apps for Android or Samsung’s Galaxy phones.

At the moment, however, beta testers seem to be stuck at the Xenial Xerus 16.04 LTE, as any attempt at upgrading to the current LTE version 18.04 Bionic Beaver, results in a broken container. So while they are free to do whatever they want inside that container, they are, in effect, confined to that specific container.

In fact, Linux on DeX currently only supports that particular distribution and that specific version of that distribution alone. If you’re not a fan of Ubuntu or simply prefer a more familiar distro, you’re pretty much out of luck. Not only that, you’d have to bend over backwards and make no small amount of compromises and tricks to even use anything other than Samsung’s custom VNC client and connection.

Almost there, but not quite

With Linux on DeX, Samsung has come closest to achieving that “phone as a desktop” dream that the likes of Microsoft, Canonical, and other tech evangelists have tried to achieve. Even in its beta form, its performance and execution is, to be honest, is surprisingly good. But to an open source advocate, it might fail to completely impress.

Linux on DeX is pretty much a huge walled garden. It’s big enough that you can roam almost freely yet still gated and almost proprietary to Samsung. Linux users who are too used to the freedom and choices offered by the open source operating system, LoD can even feel a tad suffocating. It does, however, demonstrate the good things Samsung can pull off when it put its mind to it. Hopefully it won’t quickly change its mind as it has its other experimental endeavors.

]]>https://osjournal.com/linux-on-dex-beta-review-almost-perfect-portable-linux-355/feed/0355Top open source apps for Windows, macOShttps://osjournal.com/top-open-source-apps-for-windows-macos-304/
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]]>Most open source advocates will naturally gravitate towards open source operating systems like Linux or BSD. But, let’s face it, not everyone is able to survive on Linux and even Linux users, from time to time, are put in a situation where they have no choice but to use Windows or macOS. But just because you’re on a proprietary platform doesn’t mean you need to give up your four freedoms as well. When the time comes that have to gird up your loins and make do with what you have, you can take comfort in these open source programs to protect your freedom while getting stuff done at the same time.

Web Browsing

Like it or not, most computing activities these days are done on web browsers. And it’s exactly because of that that we should be more conscious of our browsing habits and our web browsers. While many browsers boast of privacy features and modes, very few can claim the same level of privacy and anonymity that the Tor Browser offers. Built on top of the ESR version of Firefox, the browser was developed by the very same people behind the Tor (The Onion Router) network, both famous and infamous for the deep level of anonymity and rerouting it provides.

If you don’t want to stray too far from the popular commercial browser, however, you can always grab Chromium instead. As the open source base of the practically proprietary Google Chrome browser, it offers nearly the same features and compatibility with Chrome extensions. You just have to take security into your own hands rather than expect Google to do it for you.

Office Suite

There’s also no escaping having to use a word processor or make spreadsheet or do a presentation, but you can always escape Microsoft’s behemoth of an office suite. Forked from the now Oracle-owned OpenOffice, LibreOffice promises better longevity as far as open source projects go. It also cares more deeply about the use and development of open document formats beyond just open source software. Some consider these category of apps to be archaic, almost prehistoric, but when you do need to dig into them, open source is never far away.

Text Editing

For some users, fiddling with plain text is more than enough. They let export features turn those otherwise boring characters into beautifully formatted content. What they need, instead, are powerful features to let them do their job faster, all without having to open a separate program. And when it comes to powerful features and extensions, Notepad++ is the name of the game. At least on Windows.

Unfortunately, Notepad++ isn’t available elsewhere and its rather aged design might scare off a few people. The folks at GitHub developed Atom to offer not just a powerful and extendable text editor but a beautiful one, too. And, yes, it’s available on both Windows and macOS. If, on the other hand, distraction-free writing and word counts are more your thing, then FocusWriter could help you craft that next bestselling novel.

Image Editing

We now move from words to images and when it comes to editing images, the venerable GIMP continues to dominate the open source market. The long-overdue 2.10 release not only gave it a much-needed visual refresh, it also updated its capabilities and support for modern features and use cases.

But while GIMP excels at image manipulation, Krita might be your go-to when painting new ones. Having long outgrown its “Photoshop alternative” childhood, Krita is now a top-tier painting software used by both hobbyists and professionals around the world, including those who might not care that much for open source philosophies than they do for excellent software.

Entertainment

Not everything has to be all work, of course. Need to take a break? VLC is always ready to take whatever you throw at it. Hailed for its ability to play almost any and all media formats, VLC is now also available on almost every operating system in the market.

But say you just want to close your eyes and chill to some soothing tunes. Clementine will not only do that for you but also help you manage your growing collection as well. Inspired by the once-popular Amarok music organizer and player for Linux, Clementine has moved forward with a more modern interface and multi-platform support while retaining the tagging and organization capabilities of its spiritual predecessor.

File Archives

Now that work is done, you might need to pack up your files and move on. Both Windows and macOS have built-in support for ZIP archives but not only is it limited to that format, it’s also limited in functionality. When you need to open seemingly-archaic archives or want to compress ZIP files as much as you can, the oddly named 7-zip is the tool you’ll want to always have installed on any Windows or macOS system you have.

Password Management

Humans are already pretty terrible at making and remembering strong passwords but operating systems can also be bad at keeping those secure. The past years have made password managers quite popular and, naturally, there’s an open source app for that too. KeePass’ user interface might be a bit daunting but its popularity means that you will be able to use it anywhere and on almost any computer, be it an official version of the app or a third-party port to mobile devices.

]]>https://osjournal.com/top-open-source-apps-for-windows-macos-304/feed/0304Open Source has won, now it needs to remain vigilanthttps://osjournal.com/open-source-has-won-now-it-needs-to-remain-vigilant-299/
https://osjournal.com/open-source-has-won-now-it-needs-to-remain-vigilant-299/#commentsTue, 13 Nov 2018 01:42:38 +0000https://osjournal.com/?p=299The post Open Source has won, now it needs to remain vigilant appeared first on OSJournal.
]]>Open source software is no longer the rebellious teenager or the underground subversive fighting behind the scenes for freedom and fairness. Not only has it become an accepted software development model, it has even become a business model to some extent. You could say that open source is all grown up, has started wearing a suit, and has gained new friends. But popularity always has a price and while open source practically runs the world now, the open source community has even more reason to keep its eyes open to make sure that its code and its values remain exactly that: open.

There will never really be an end to the battle between free/open source software and proprietary software. But like almost anything in business, there is also some level of tense harmony between the two. To a large extent, open source software has won that war and is behind almost every imaginable software used in the world today. From Linux-based cloud servers to the smartphones in our pockets to the very tools used to develop those pieces of software, there is a trace of open source software and development there, visible or otherwise.

Companies have seemingly seen the light as well. Some have embraced the free and open source philosophy wholeheartedly while others simply see it as a way to “share” the burden of software development and maintenance with its own users. Others even simply open source some of their code as a publicity stunt. The biggest noise, however, come from the biggest companies, like long-time Linux hater Microsoft and re-emerging giant IBM.

Until recently, Microsoft’s stance on open source has always been characterized as vile and treacherous. Former CEO Steve Ballmer called Linux, the most prominent example of open source software, as a cancer. Redmond has also been accused of funding patent trolls that sue open source companies, especially those too small to defend itself. Microsoft has seemingly turned over a new leaf, professing its love for Linux outright, open sourcing some projects, acquiring GitHub, and even joining the Open Innovation to protect Linux against patent lawsuits. Ironically, some point out that Microsoft continues to fund patent trolls behind the scenes.

IBM’s case is less dramatic. To its credit, the company has been more Linux friendly than the likes of Microsoft or Apple. However, many see its acquisition of Red Hat as a desperate attempt at staying relevant in the Cloud Wars. And concerns about IBM forcing Red Hat into a certain direction, though sometimes exaggerated, are not entirely unfounded. It promises that Red Hat will remain independent, but bigger promises have been made and eventually broken in the name of profits and shares.

We are at a time when open source’ popularity means there are more new players coming on board, more companies open sourcing their software, and corporations buying smaller open source companies. This means that there are now even more people who are not familiar with the open source philosophy and culture. And some may even have cunning anit-open source plots set in motion. It’s no surprise that there exists some resistance, even pushback, over some of these developments that, on the surface, are supposed to be good for open source at large.

The fact that not everyone might share the open source spirit completely shouldn’t become a reason to shut certain groups out. Not everyone is born an open source advocate and, at one point or another, we all had to transition and learn and change our mindsets. Sometimes we fail, but we just get up again and learn. It’s no longer enough to just open the source code. We also have to keep our doors open, including to some suspicious-looking characters. We just have to also keep our eyes open and make sure we’re not blinded by the spotlight, remembering that while we might be getting some new and powerful and rich friends, some might not really be our friends at all.

]]>https://osjournal.com/open-source-has-won-now-it-needs-to-remain-vigilant-299/feed/1299UserLAnd Review: a little Linux in your pockethttps://osjournal.com/userland-review-a-little-linux-in-your-pocket-327/
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]]>Samsung has finally made real its promise of bringing a Linux desktop to its Galaxy phones. But while Linux on DeX might sound like a Linux user’s dream come true, it comes with a few caveats. You’re pretty much limited to using a now older Ubuntu 16.04 LTS distribution and you can only use it in DeX mode on the Galaxy Note 9 or the Galaxy Tab S4. For the true open source advocate, that just isn’t enough. Fortunately, thre’s now UserLAnd, a new and upcoming way to run Linux distros and apps on Android without rooting your phone. And best of all, the app itself is open source!

No root roots

UserLAnd is hardly the first nor only attempt at turning your Android phone into a true Linux-toting mobile device. The most popular and well-tested ones, however, require users to root their devices first. No problem for seasoned Android and Linux veterans but a high barrier to entry for the majority.

There was one project, however, that tried to make things just a little bit easier by removing the root requirement. That was the playfully named GNURoot which let you install Debian, Ubuntu, or even Fedora, albeit in their most basic, command line only forms. Sadly, GNURoot is no longer maintained and no longer works properly after Android releases. That’s where the strangely named UserLAnd comes in.

Linux on Android made easier

If all you need is a basic but more or less updated Linux system on your Android phone or a very limited selection of Linux software, the UserLAnd is definitely worth a try. Especially if you don’t mind being limited to only a choice between Debian and Ubuntu. That said, these two are at least recent, running Debian 9.5 “Stretch” and Ubuntu 18.04 LTS “Bionic Beaver”, so you won’t be at a loss for recent packages and software.

As for those individual Linux programs, however, you are sadly limited to what UserLAnd provides. At least until you’re able to make a launcher of your own. At the moment, the only choices are the desktop version of Firefox, text-based games Adventure and Zork, and graphical math programs like Gnuplot, Octave, and R.

What UserLAnd lacks in options it makes up for in ease of use. Simply tap on any of those apps (yes, the distro’s are considered “apps” in this context) and just watch the text scroll by. When you start an app for the very first time, it will ask you for some login details like the username you’d like to associate with the app, the user’s password (which is also the SSH password, of course), and the VNC password. You then pick whether you want to connect that app session to SSH or VNC, the latter for a GUI session. For the GUI programs, that decision is naturally made for you.

What UserLAnd does in the background is create a container using the distro of choice (Debian by default for the apps) and automatically launch the chosen GUI program when the session is started. There is no magic there, however, since you will see xterm run said program. Like the minimalist distros of old, UserLAnd uses the venerable and ancient TWM for its window manager.

Nearly infinite possibilities

So what can you do with UserLAnd anyway? Well, almost anything actually. You’re really limited only by the packages available for those specific distro versions, the ARM or x86 architecture your Android phone/tablet is running on, and your time and patience in downloading and installing them.

For the specific Linux GUI applications provided by default, it’s a no-brainer. They’re there so you could use them on the go, even when far away from your beloved Linux desktop or laptop. Firefox lets you have a full desktop web browser when “Request desktop site” just isn’t enough and you need some extensions (that hopefully works for ARM).

Things, however, can get a bit crazier when you consider the “plain” Debian and Ubuntu distros. Here you’re limited by your insanity. SSH mode lets you play around with command line utilities and tool, maybe even test a local web server on your phone. With VNC, you can even install a full graphical desktop environment of your choice. It’s up to you to justify to yourself that use case.

Caveats

Of course, it’s not a perfect Linux phone scenario. Even if you’re running a full GUI desktop, you’re still just running it on top of Android. Never mind gamin beyond text-based titles, don’t expect your experience to be snappy unless you have a mighty phone. But even then, forget about fancy graphical effects and such.

You might to plug some peripherals to your phone as well. While SSH mode is pretty usable with a virtual keyboard, anything graphical you’d want to have keyboard and mouse at hand. And unless you have a gigantic phone or a tablet, you’ll want some external monitor or a way to mirror your phone’s screen to something bigger.

Lastly, UserLAnd is definitely a power user tool, and by that I mean Linux power user. Going off the beaten path requires not just a certain amount of familiarity not just with Debian or Ubuntu but also the Linux command line in general. You might want to dust off those BASH commands and tricks you’ve accumulated over the years.

Wrap-up

It’s hardly the ideal Linux on Android experience, not even close to the dream Linux phone experience. Depending on your needs, there might be better options to getting your Linux fix, especially if all you need is to access a remote server via SSH or remote desktop. But for open source Linux fans, UserLAnd is so far the best, probably the only, option to have a rootless, up-to-date Linux system on your Android phone. Hopefully, it will eventually gain enough traction to be even more improved and maybe become the way to get any Linux distro on Android.

]]>https://osjournal.com/userland-review-a-little-linux-in-your-pocket-327/feed/0327Open source novel writing software: free the author withinhttps://osjournal.com/open-source-novel-writing-software-free-the-author-within-285/
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]]>For a certain group of people, November is the time to dust the cobwebs off their long forgotten or buried book ideas and make an attempt at giving them life. NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month, has grown far beyond being a “national” thing and has become an opportunity for some people to try their hand at writing a 50,000-word piece with a semblance of a coherent plot. But as with many creative fields, some of the most popular software for the job aren’t the most liberating. In order to liberate your novel in more ways than one, here are some of the best tools open source has to offer to help you plan and even write that dream novel of yours.

Bibisco

The act of writing is actually just one part of the writing process. At least for those writers who prefer to plan ahead even for a little bit, building characters, plots, and scenes are sometimes more than half the work. With regards to that kind of preparation, Bibisco is right up there at the top. A Java application that looks more like a web-based CMS than a desktop app, bibisco’s biggest strength is the way it helps writers build up the lore of their fiction, particularly characters, through prompts and questions. If you’re a bit lost trying to think of details for people and locations, bibisco can help shake up that brain of yours.

Manuskript

Not that far behind in the planning department is Manuskript. This particular application more faithfully adheres to the snowflake method of developing the plot of a novel. As such, it is more structured in its approach and its features, providing a visual tree of scenes instead of a mere linear flow. Perfect for those who plan down to the last detail before writing, Manuskript might feel a tad suffocating for even some “Planners”.

oStorybook

This program probably has the most alien-looking interface for prose writers. Those familiar with writing code, however, might feel at home. oStorybook’s interface looks more like a programmer’s IDE (Integrated Development Environment) than a writer’s tool. But like an IDE, oStorybook is able to track and present almost every detail about characters, locations, and items. It also has a special section for keeping track of sudden inspiration and ideas.

Plume Creator

Plume Creator is somewhat like a middle ground between these aforementioned programs. It does still look a bit like a programmer’s creation tool but it’s less overwhelming than oStorybook’s UI. The idea is to have all the relevant panels visible at once, showing you your story structure, character or places or items, notes, and even tools like a timer while you write your story in the middle. If that’s too distracting, Plume Creator does have a distraction-free mode as well. It also has one of the most powerful and flexible export options, allowing writers to even pick out which scenes they want to export and which ones they prefer to leave out.

FocusWriter

The polar opposite of oStorybook, FocusWriter is perhaps a better tool for “pantsers”. These are the novel writers who write by the seat of their pants, hence the name, with minimal planning involved. They would still want the conveniences of these writing tools, especially spellcheck and distraction-free writing, without getting bogged down, both psychologically and technically, by complicated and unused features. That said, FocusWriter does have a basic scene organization feature so you won’t have to worry too much about moving paragraphs around through error-prone copy/paste.

Wrap-up

While there is probably a need to have professional open source writing software to rival and surpass the likes of Scrivener, there is no shortage of tools available for open source writers, from humble text editors to full-blown “IDEs”. And what these five options lack in finesse and beauty, they make up for in flexibility and, most importantly, complete freedom and control of your data, no matter what happens to the program or to its developers.

]]>https://osjournal.com/open-source-novel-writing-software-free-the-author-within-285/feed/0285Best Linux distros for users of all levelshttps://osjournal.com/best-linux-distros-for-users-of-all-levels-270/
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]]>One of the best, and sometimes worst, things about the Linux (or GNU/Linux) operating system is that there are dozens of “flavors” to choose from. While some distributions almost feel like clones or trivial forks of others just for the sake of existing, quite a few have risen to the top, earning not just a huge following but also a distinct identity for being better for certain classes of users or certain needs. Whether you are a Linux novice or a seasoned command line veteran, there is always a Linux distro for you. Here are just some of the top picks available today for such users.

Beginner Level

Ubuntu

Ubuntu’s tagline of “Linux for human beings” is controversial but well-deserved. Although some have begrudged how it simply stands on the shoulders of Debian, few will argue that Ubuntu has taken what is great from that venerable distro and made it more accessible to the common folk. Along with grassroots marketing and the resources of a millionaire, Ubuntu grew to become one of the most influential distros of recent history, giving birth to other distros that would use it as the foundation for their own vision.

Linux Mint

One such distro is Linux Mint which earned the distinction of a very beginner-friendly distribution for one particular reason: proprietary codecs and plug-ins. While Ubuntu is already easy to install and makes it easy to install such non-open pieces of software, Linux Mint practically includes them by default. Of course, that doesn’t sit well with open source purists but for those who need weaning into that world, this might still be an acceptable compromise.

Zorin OS

Zorin OS/Elementary OS

Zorin and Elementary are almost two sides of the same coin. Both are based on Ubuntu and both try to present a user interface familiar to refugees from proprietary operating systems. Zorin OS will be more familiar to Windows users while Elementary OS will make Mac users feel at home. Of course, they have other strengths as well but it’s hard to deny how beautiful these distros can be right out of the box.

Elementary OS

Intermediate Level

Debian

Very few distros have earned the same legacy and distinction as Debian, one of the oldest surviving and still widely used GNU/Linux distros around. It has always boasted of one of the biggest repositories among distros, the widest support for computer architectures and devices, and a stronger commitment to both spirit and letter of open source. When you’re tired of all the additional cruft that beginner-friendly distros have by default, it might be time to give good ol’ Debian a spin.

Fedora

The other “old school” distro that rivaled Debian back in the day was Red Hat, known for its RPM package format (versus Debian’s DEB) and its commercial support business. But since not everyone will be able to afford that, Fedora is the next best thing as far as RPM-based distros go. In fact, it’s pretty much considered the playground for future Red Hat features, which means it tends to get experimental features first, sometimes even before other distros.

Advanced Level

Arch Linux

Although a distribution that provides pre-compiled binary packages, Arch Linux is considered something you don’t throw at all but the most adventurous beginners. The distro is quite infamous for its installation process and its package manager is not for the faint of heart. In exchange, however, it does have one of the best documentation around. You’ll also find not a few daring folks always ready to put Arch on new kinds of devices which, in turn, paves the way for other Linux distros to follow.

Gentoo

When talking about Linux distros for advanced users, it’s impossible not to talk about source-based distros. That might evoke images of compiling every package by hand from source but reality is actually less romantic. Gentoo still has “packages” though they mostly come in the form of “recipes” that indicate how to build a particular package and what other packages it might depend on. Those dependencies can vary wildly, depending on what options you enable or disable when the package is built. That lets users personalize each installation as much as they like but also makes it easy to shoot one’s self on the foot.

LFS/BLFS

If you really want to go hard core, however, LFS is the name of the game. Technically, Linux From Scratch isn’t a distribution but more like a learning tool to find out first hand the insane amount of work that distros put into providing ready-to-use Linux systems for users. It also shows just how lucky users are to have package managers. That said, it’s certainly possible to run a system off LFS, especially BLFS (Beyond Linux From Scratch) which provides additional instructions for building things like X and desktop environments.

Let a thousand distros flourish

This is quite literally just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that there is almost a Linux distro for every need, use case, and even fandom. Some might think that it’s a waste of time or energy or resources that could be spent on more established distros. But such is both the beauty and the insanity of open source, giving users and developers the freedom and the option to craft the experience they need and want.

]]>https://osjournal.com/best-linux-distros-for-users-of-all-levels-270/feed/0270RSS feed readers: getting news the open source wayhttps://osjournal.com/rss-feed-readers-getting-news-the-open-source-way-250/
https://osjournal.com/rss-feed-readers-getting-news-the-open-source-way-250/#commentsMon, 22 Oct 2018 09:45:05 +0000https://osjournal.com/?p=250The post RSS feed readers: getting news the open source way appeared first on OSJournal.
]]>It’s easy to get news on the Internet these days. In fact, it’s too easy to get news from the Internet to the point that it’s also to easy to get the wrong news. Some have considered RSS feeds obsolete and boring but when it comes to getting news straight from the horse’s mouth, nothing still beats this direct and largely open method. Last time we looked at Wallabag for saving your articles. This time we’re going to take a look at some open source RSS feed readers that give you those articles in the first place.

Tiny Tiny RSS

When it comes to replacing the dearly departed Google Reader and its substitute Feedly with an open source solution, Tiny Tiny RSS is one of the first that always comes out at the top. It prides itself for being, well, tiny and simple to use. Any user just needs a web browser, be it on desktop or mobile. That said, it does require you to host the server-side application yourself, either via a dedicated hosting account, VPS, or your own home server. It doesn’t require that much to run, though, just PHP 5.6 or higher and PostgreSQL 9.1 or higher for the best results. Given its popularity, there are quite a few front-end applications that support tt-rss in case the web interface isn’t good enough.

FreshRSS

In the realm of self-hosted feed readers, FreshRSS is one of the newcomers but one that focuses on speed even with over 100,000 articles to juggle. Again, the basic LAMP stack is required to install this server application, which presumes you have some remote hosting solution. FreshRSS comes with a basic, and rather crude, “responsive” browser interface so you won’t have to install some third-party app. But in case you do need one, there’s quite a few open source apps for that as well.

FeedReader

Unlike Tiny Tiny RSS and FreshRSS, FeedReader is just an RSS client for the desktop and nothing more. The advantage to that focus is that it is built and designed for a specific purpose and it does that incredibly well. The interface is beautiful and installation is easy with the Flatpak package. It works with several RSS backends like Tiny Tiny RSS, FreshRSS, Nextcloud, and even proprietary services like Feedly and InoReader. It even has native support for read-it-later services like Wallabag!

NewsBlur

The three apps so far mentioned focus on the server-side or the client-side experience and, more often than not, require users to host their own server or use a proprietary backend. In contrast, NewsBlur is an all-in-one solution that addresses all those. Specifically, it offers a hosted service for both free and paid accounts running up to $36 per year. It also has its own native apps for Android (both on Google Play Store and F-Droid) and iOS. Its your one-stop open source shop for Internet news.

Feeder

If, on the other hand, your news reading habits and needs are simple and you do it only from your Android phone, then Feeder might be worth a try. Available only from F-Droid and GitLab, this super simple news reader doesn’t require any server or account. Simply give it an OPML file and it will sync with itself. Of course, that means you won’t be able to sync with other news readers but, with Android’s native sharing, you can always save your articles to Wallabag for later viewing.

Wrap-up

There are tons of open source news reader services and apps out there, some big, some small. We haven’t even touched on extensions to cloud suites like ownCloud and Nextcloud, or mobile apps that sync with proprietary services for that matter. With RSS readers, you may be old-school but at least you’re getting your news direct from the source. Whether that source is credible or not, well, that’s a different question entirely.

]]>https://osjournal.com/rss-feed-readers-getting-news-the-open-source-way-250/feed/4250Wallabag: open source read-it-later softwarehttps://osjournal.com/wallabag-open-source-read-it-later-software-237/
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]]>The Internet is chock full of knowledge, often served in bite-sized pieces. In fact, the Internet may be too full of information, more than we can consume during our busy, busy days. But rather than ignore those juicy tidbits of knowledge, wouldn’t it be better if you could just save those articles for later and read them when you finally do have the free time? That’s what read-it-later services do and Wallabag is your open source solution for that.

Read-it-later services is one of the underrated and relatively lesser known services offered on the modern Web. Most people simply bookmark pages they’re interested, which does work most of the time. The problem is that those often don’t work when you’re not connected to the Internet. They also don’t offer distraction-free reading or features like reading the article out loud. Instapaper could be credited for popularizing read-it-later services but it was later on upstaged, acquired, and then released by Pocket. Pocket itself has been acquired by Mozilla and integrated into Firefox but it hasn’t been made open source, a big no-no for some open source users.

Enter Wallabag, whose old name was Poche, a French word that means “pocket”. Its feature list is pretty basic and has all the things you’ll need for a comfortable read-it-later experience. It saves the article’s important content so that you can read it in a clean, distraction-free view. By focusing on just the text, Wallabag can load articles even when your phone or tablet is offline, though images sadly don’t get the same treatment. Of course, offline reading only works on the mobile app.

Like most open source alternatives to popular web services, Wallabag’s basic form is software that you have to run and host on your own server or at least a shared server. It’s requirements are pretty simple, really only a recent version of PHP and one of the three popular SQL servers (MySQL, PostgreSQL, and even SQLite). That said, that may be a problem for open source fans without access to their own hosting solution, much less know how. Fortunately, there is now also wallabag.it that offers a paid hosting service for only 3 EUR (around $3.5) for 3 month or 9 EUR ($10) a year. There’s also a 25 EUR per year option for those who really want to help fund the developers.

Wallabag, however, would be mostly pointless if it only existed on the server side. Good news: there are number of official apps available covering many platforms, from Android to iOS to Windows to even the Amazon Kindle (a jailbroken one). There are extensions for the major web browsers (except Safari) which lets you easily save a web page with one click.

The bad news: these apps are pretty basic and still need a lot of work to be on par with proprietary alternatives. The user interface is, perhaps by design, simple yet clean. However, options are also pretty barren. Perhaps the biggest stumbling block for beginners is that all apps except for the Android app will require multiple steps to connect the app to a hosted Wallabag server, be it wallabag.it or self-hosted ones. Those steps include diving into the API client management settings and copying a jumble of letters, numbers and symbols. It might have been done for security and privacy purposes but it could be daunting for beginners.

Still, Wallabag has come a long way since its initial release as Poche, gaining not just maturity but also a much-needed paid hosting service to lower the barrier to entry. It definitely still needs work on the client side, but that’s exactly what open source, and donations or subscriptions, are for.